Travelinggramma, since I typically press open I have been trying to have solid bands of fabric to tie in my seams. If I didn't do that, I'd be stay-stitching at the 1/8" mark before sending on.
This last round with 50" long 1/2" finished fabric was really concerning to me -- it just seemed so long and unwieldy in addition to being an odd measurement in quilt terms, but since it provided float I left it a bit larger to hopefully allow Mary an easier time to fit in her border without having to resort to yet another 1/2" round.